Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | F | Foreign Policy in Focus

Global cooperation: the candidates speak.

Article Excerpt
When George W. Bush first campaigned for the presidency, his foreign policy plans hinged on building a stronger economic and political relationship with Latin America, especially Mexico, and reducing U.S. involvement in small-scale military engagements in general, and "nation building" in particular. When he took office 2001, he inherited a nation at peace, with a record budget surplus.

When Bush steps down next January, he will leave a vastly different foreign affairs legacy, as well as a major to-do list for his successor. The next president will run a nation at war. He or she will contend with America's standing around the world in decline, questions about our use of torture, genocide in Darfur, fraying relations with international institutions, and insufficient efforts to halt nuclear proliferation.

Despite saturation coverage of the presidential campaign, we have rarely had the opportunity to hear, or actually read, the candidates own views--in their own words--on these important issues. Yes, we've heard a sound bite here and another one-liner there, but it's hard to know where they stand on some of the most important global issues of our day.

Looking for their exact words and a way to compare and contrast the positions of Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY), John McCain (R-AZ), and Barack Obama (D-IL) on a range of global cooperation issues? Read on.

The following analysis is based on several sources: the candidates' voting records in the Senate, articles they have written, and their platforms as articulated during the campaign, as well as their comments in debates, public appearances, and the Citizens for Global Solutions' candidate questionnaire. At this time, Clinton and Obama have responded to the questionnaire, while McCain has not.

U.S. Image Abroad

America's image in the world has declined over the past several years. This was affirmed by a 2007 poll by Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), in conjunction with BBC World Service. On average across the 26 countries polled, 30% said the United States has a mostly positive influence in the world while 51% said the United States has a mostly negative influence.

This recent data runs counter to similar polling done in the 1990s. At that time, views of the United States were predominantly positive. According to World Public Opinion.org, PIPA's webzine: "Comparing 1999 State Department data and recent Pew data, favorable views of the United States have dropped in the UK from 83 percent to 56 percent, in Germany from 78 percent to 37 percent, in Morocco from 77 percent to 49 percent, in Indonesia from 75 to 30 percent, in France from 62 to 39 percent, from Turkey from 62 to 12 percent and in Spain from 50 to 23 percent."

The 2007 poll cited two major reasons for the decline of our nation's image around the world:

* 75% disapprove of the how the U.S. is handing the Iraq War; and,

* 69% disapprove of U.S. treatment of detainees in Guantanamo and other prisons.

Clinton said in response to the Citizens for Global Solutions questionnaire that she believes that the decline of our nation's image actually provides the next president "a moment of opportunity to restore America's global standing and convince the world that America can lead once again." She believes this can be achieved "by reintroducing ourselves to the world ... this should be a moment of renewed global engagement, as there are so many problems requiring renewed American attention."

Diplomacy

Clinton and Obama differ on how they would carry out diplomacy as president to enhance our nation's image.

Obama has consistently said, "We need to rediscover the power of diplomacy. So I said very early on in this campaign that I will meet not just with our friends but with our enemies, not just the leaders I like, but leaders I don't."

Meanwhile, Clinton is opposed to Obama's idea. "We simply cannot legitimize rogue regimes or weaken American prestige by impulsively agreeing to presidential-level talks with no preconditions," she said. "It may sound good, but it doesn't meet the real world test of foreign policy."

On the issue of meeting with not only our...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!